The present invention relates to methods of treatment, in particular it relates to methods of treating weight loss due to underlying disease (cachexia).
Weight loss due to underlying disease, often termed “cachexia”, occurs in patients with a wide variety of diseases including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), liver cirrhosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic renal failure, chronic infections including pneumonia, cancer (cancer cachexia), diabetes and heart disease including hypertension and chronic heart failure (CHF) (cardiac cachexia). Cachexia may also occur idiopathically.
In all cases, cachexia may be an indicator of a poor prognosis and its reversal, stopping or at least slowing down, is desirable. Indeed, a strong relationship between weight loss and mortality has been found for many conditions.
Hormonal changes and catabolic/anabolic imbalance in chronic heart failure (CHF) and their relevance in cardiac cachexia has been discussed in Anker et al (1997) Circulation 96, 526-534. Similarly, catecholamine levels, serum uric acid levels, TNFα levels and other hormone levels have been measured in patients with CHF (see, for example. Anker et al (1997) Heart 78, 39-43; Anker et al (1998) Q J. Med. 91, 199-203; Anker (1998) Eur. Heart J. 19, (Suppl F), F56-F61; Anker et al (1497) J. Amer. Coll. Cardiol. 30, 997-1001; Anker et al (1999) Eur. Heart. 20, 683-693; Anker (1999) Chest 115, 836-847). In addition, studies have been made of the loss of bone mineral in patients with cachexia due to CHF (Anker et al (1999) Am. J. Cardiol. 83, 612-615).